Issue - meetings

Report from the Section 151 Officer attached

Report from the Section 151 Officer attached

The Section 151 Officer presented a report providing the third update on activity and delivery against the action plan with the previous updates being brought in April and July 2025 and highlighting the improvement work that has been carried out by the Assurance Boards. In addition to the work carried out by the Boards there have been Council wide briefings, Senior Management sessions and Strategic Leadership Team engagement with the improvement work and compliance sprints.

The Action Plan was set out and it was explained that there continues to be progress made within the expected target date.

The plan was split into the following areas:

a.    Financial Resilience – All actions are on track or complete. The Finance Board continues to be run monthly overseeing the key milestones in the Improvement work plan. At September, the Board was updated on the opportunities from the zero based budget longlist and Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) risk areas to be considered along with the immediate actions and budget timetable with the revised list of budget options to come back to the next board. This will then be on track for delivery of the MTFS, this matter will be considered by Cabinet at their meeting in November.

b.    Finance Capacity and Transformation - With regards to Phase 1, job adverts are currently live for the strategic lead level roles, with the next tier down due to be advertised imminently. For Phase 2 – the completed work from the Zero Based Budgeting project has informed the structure required going forward, the job descriptions and consultation have been drafted with view to consultation going live in November.

c.    Governance and Compliance including Estate Management and Leadership and Governance Arrangements - All of these actions are now complete with assurance of delivery of the wider Improvement Work Plan being held with the Property and Estates Board

Those present were given to opportunity to ask questions or make comments and the following points were raised:-

·         Councillor Hook referred to the Asset Register and asked whether the delay in relation to the valuations had impacted the External Auditors work.

The S.151 Officer explained that the delay had been due to external valuers and had impacted on the production of the accounts but this wasn’t part of the action plan.

·         Councillor Hook asked whether the valuation should have been included.

It was advised that the key action was to have 1 reconciled register which was now in place.

The Monitoring Officer explained that all of the Assurance Boards have produced forward plans and produce highlight reports which feed into the Exec Team and 6 month reviews are carried out.

·         Councillor Hook asked whether it would be possible to receive a priority list of what the highest priorities are and the work that is being undertaken by each Board to show they are being met.

The Monitoring Officer reported that the work was not 6 months and then done, it was a rolling plan and was about how the assurance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98